Effects of partial or complete replacement of soybean meal with commercial black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) meal on growth performance, cecal short chain fatty acids, and excreta metabolome of broiler chickens

Dynamic effects of black soldier fly larvae meal on the cecal bacterial microbiota and prevalence of selected antimicrobial resistant determinants in broiler chickens

“…In fact, many species belonging to these genera are significant producers of SCFAs, which play a significant role in the intestinal health and growth performance of poultry. Yet, in the earlier study [ 18 ], we failed to detect any significant differences in the cecal SCFA levels between birds fed 100% BSFLM and all other control diets, suggesting that the growth-depressive effects of high amounts of BSFLM is independent of the reduced metabolic capacity of the cecal microbiota towards SCFA production.…”

“…Likewise, Facey et al demonstrated that substituting SBM in broiler chicken diets with 12.5% and 25% BSFLM fortified with BSFLM oil also had performance-enhancing effects similar to a conventional SBM-based diet supplemented with in-feed BMD and narasin during the starter phase [ 19 ]. Conversely, we observed that high inclusion levels of BSFLM (HIL-BSFLM, defined here as 50% and 100% BSFLM) in broiler chicken diets had a detrimental impact on the overall growth performance of broiler chickens, a finding that had also been reported by several other studies [ 18 – 21 ].…”

“…Earlier work had shown that replacement of SBM with LIL-BSFLM in broiler chicken diets resulted in growth-promoting effects similar to chickens fed a conventional corn-SBM-based diet supplemented with BMD [ 18 , 19 ], whereas HIL-BSFLM substitution negatively impacted growth performance [ 19 , 20 ]. In the present study, we demonstrated that the cecal bacterial communities of chickens fed low amounts of BSFLM remained comparable to those that received the BMD control diet throughout a three-phase growth cycle.…”

“…More recently, B. wadsworthia was shown to synergize with a high fat diet to promote inflammation, intestinal barrier dysfunction, bile acid and glucose dysmetabolism and hepatic steatosis in mice [ 50 ]. In 35-day-old broiler chickens, complete replacement of SBM with BSFLM was previously shown to affect amino acid metabolism [ 18 , 19 ] and increase liver weight (i.e. hepatic hypertrophy) [ 19 ].…”

“…Apart from this, black soldier fly larvae are also a source of antimicrobial and immunomodulatory compounds such as chitin [ 15 ], lauric acid [ 16 ], and antimicrobial peptides [ 17 ]. Focusing on its potential as a substitute ingredient of conventional poultry feeds, we have recently shown that replacement of SBM with low inclusion levels of black soldier fly larvae meal (LIL-BSFLM; defined here as 12.5% and 25%) can provide for a positive growth response in broiler chickens during the starter period of growth, comparable to those fed a conventional corn-SBM-based diet supplemented with the antibiotic growth promoter, bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) [ 18 ]. Likewise, Facey et al demonstrated that substituting SBM in broiler chicken diets with 12.5% and 25% BSFLM fortified with BSFLM oil also had performance-enhancing effects similar to a conventional SBM-based diet supplemented with in-feed BMD and narasin during the starter phase [ 19 ].…”